


Under the Weather

by miss_aligned



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Headaches & Migraines, Mass Effect 1, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-02
Updated: 2016-05-02
Packaged: 2018-06-06 01:23:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6732085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miss_aligned/pseuds/miss_aligned
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As the ground team prepares for a mission, one member is plagued by a medical issue, and not one who is known for it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Under the Weather

Standing near his locker and gathering all the necessary gear he’d need for the next drop groundside, Kaidan hadn’t realized that he’d been humming. He’d been in an inexplicably good mood despite all of the frustration and hardships that accompanied being assigned to a ship like the Normandy and under the command of the first human Spectre. Truthfully, however, he wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else in the galaxy.

He glanced up when he heard footsteps, a smirk creeping across his lips as nodded his head at Shepard’s incoming silhouette, framed beautifully in the odd lighting of the shuttle bay. “Commander.”

She said nothing, but gave him a faint smile once she was close enough to reach for one of the other lockers stocked with gear. He straightened once he properly laid eyes on her. Her skin looked pallid and she had dark circles around her eyes, like she hadn’t slept properly.

“Are you feeling alright, Commander?” He gently inquired.

“I’m fine. I’ve just been fighting off a headache.” She swiped the back of her hand across her forehead for a moment before turning her attention to rummaging through the locker’s contents.

He watched her move, carefully gauging the subtle signals of her discomfort. Her eyes squinted even in the dim lighting of the belly of the Normandy. She wasn’t able to focus well enough to gather the equipment she needed with the precision she’d always exhibited in the past. She fumbled. She quietly sighed. She was struggling.

“Commander,” Kaidan quietly said, setting his own gear aside to step in closer to her. He ignored the thrumming in his chest at being in such close proximity in order to focus on the problem at hand. “Look at me.”

“What is it, Lieutenant?” Her gaze drifted sluggishly toward him, as though it was taking a considerable amount of effort to make it happen. Even her voice sounded tired.

His gaze bored into hers, and though he could feel heat rising in his cheeks, he concentrated on what he was seeing. “I think you need to get some rest. This mission is going to have to wait.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she sighed. “Saren’s not taking sick time. I’m not either. I’ll be fine.”

“With all due respect, I know a thing or two about headaches. I’m going to have to insist that you stay and rest. You might be a liability in this condition.”

There was a flare of anger in her eyes that caught him off guard. Her jaw tensed before she opened her mouth as though she was about to unleash a berating of a lifetime. Kaidan braced himself for it, but before she uttered a word, her expression changed. Her brow furrowed with confusion as her hand drifted to her nose. She knew it a split second before he did, and her eyes slid closed while her body swayed ever so slightly.

“Whoa there,” he said as his hands instinctively found their way to either side of Shepard’s waist to steady her. His face flushed at the contact, and he would have cursed himself for being so stupid as to grab her if he hadn’t noticed the blood slowly seeping from her nostrils. He’d seen plenty of people suffering headaches like this in brain camp, but they’d all been biotics with amps implanted at the base of their skulls. This was Shepard. She wasn’t a biotic as far as he knew, and definitely shouldn’t be suffering these sort of symptoms under normal circumstances. Without hesitation, he scooped her up in his arms and began walking. “Time to go see Dr. Chakwas, swee—err… Commander.”

She groaned, her eyes tightly shut now as she tried to battle the pain. Tali froze when she saw them approach, though her expression was quite unreadable, as usual. She seemed to understand well enough, however, at least enough to summon the elevator for them as Kaidan approached. No questions asked.

As they headed up, Kaidan frowned when he looked down at his ailing commanding officer. It made his gut twist unpleasantly to see her in pain like this. She looked so uncomfortable and vulnerable curled securely in his arms the way she was. He hoped that she couldn’t hear his heart thundering against his ribs at that moment. He also silently prayed that she hadn’t really heard him almost call her some term of endearment that, while it nearly rolled off his tongue so naturally that it was alarming, was entirely inappropriate for a soldier and his superior.

Dr. Chakwas stood immediately as the door to the med bay opened and she caught sight of the two soldiers entering the room. “I wasn’t aware you had even left yet—“

“We haven’t,” Kaidan promptly interrupted as he set Shepard gently on the bed at the doctor’s gesture. “She said she’s got a headache, but if that’s all it is, it’s a bad one.”

Shepard groaned again, seemingly unable to verbalize any response. She remained curled up on her side, cradling her head in her hands. A pang of sympathy tore straight through the lieutenant at the sight. He knew that feeling all too well.

“I see,” Dr. Chakwas said as she began her assessment. She moved quickly and quietly, programming monitors, performing scans, and administering drugs for her patient. It would have been fascinating to observe a medical professional of her caliber going about her work, but Kaidan’s gaze was locked on the ailing woman on the bed. Only when he saw the blood cleaned from Shepard’s face and the tension in her brow slowly ease did he release the breath he’d been holding.

It was quite some time after the pair had entered the med bay, after Dr. Chakwas had administered all the treatments and tests she deemed necessary that she approached the lieutenant. “You’ll stay with her for a bit, yes?”

“Hmmwhat?” He tore his eyes from the slow rise and fall of Shepard’s chest to the questioning gaze of the doctor. She held a finger to her lips, reminding him to be quiet so that the patient could sleep. “I need to watch her? Where are you going?”

She chuckled quietly, genuinely amused at his surprise. She gently squeezed his arm and reassured him. “I notice you’re doing that anyway. I just thought you wouldn’t mind staying with her for a while longer. Her pain is reasonably managed for now. I can’t claim to be any sort of expert on the impact of prothean technology and communication when input directly into the human brain, Lieutenant. I’m going to need to contact some colleagues if I’m going to have a chance to fully treat this ailment. If her condition changes, I’ll be back. Don’t worry.”

Kaidan swallowed hard. He wasn’t sure exactly what she meant or if he really should be the one to stay with Shepard as she slept, but he wanted to do it. He was eager to offer whatever help he could. So, he nodded and settled in a chair next to the commander as Dr. Chakwas quietly exited the room. It was jarring to see her in such a state, but she was clearly suffering less than when they’d been down in the shuttle bay. Even looking pale and unwell, she was unfairly attractive. With lingering thoughts like that, he definitely shouldn’t have been the one watching over her.

She shifted suddenly, nearly causing the man to jump out of his skin. Her brow furrowed and she began to groan, shifting her limbs as though preparing to leap off of the bed. Kaidan stood, ready to react, but unsure as to how he might help. The monitors weren’t screaming in alarm, so her condition didn’t appear to be deteriorating. She was either waking up in pain or having a nightmare, if he guessed right.

Kaidan’s hand drifted upwards hoping to reassure her with his presence. He wanted a friendly face to be the first one she saw when she awoke, and part of him couldn’t help but simply want to touch her. Just before his palm cupped around her cheek, she all but screamed.

“Kaidan, no!”

In response, the lieutenant’s eyes went wide and he pulled his hand back so fast that he nearly punched himself in the face. Her muscles contracted as though she was going to explode into action, but just as quickly as she’d stirred, she relaxed and returned to a reasonably peaceful state. Kaidan stood there, staring at the beautiful, terrifying, confounding creature with a slack jaw for several long moments before scrubbing his hands over his face and sitting down on the chair at her bedside once more.

She was dreaming. Of him, apparently. He would have blushed further if his face wasn’t already blazing red hot from the embarrassment of her yelling at him. Or for him. Or something. He was going to have to ask her about it later. Then again, it seemed like a better idea to pretend none of it had ever happened and to bury himself under a rock on a distant planet in the Hades Nexus. At least no one else had witnessed what had just transpired.

“Everything okay, there, Lieutenant?” Joker’s voice rang out with no small amount of amusement.

Nothing could stop the pained groan that emanated from Kaidan at that moment.

“Fine, Joker. She needs rest. We’re on standby for now,” the lieutenant quietly responded. “Leave us alone. _Her_. Leave _her_ alone.” He groaned again.

Kaidan made a mental note to launch himself out of the airlock in mid-flight later.


End file.
